Berita Palsu semasa Pandemik COVID-19: Tinjauan dari Perspektif Perundangan
Fake News during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Overview from a Legal Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51200/jpks.v5i1.5699Keywords:
berita palsu, COVID-19, kesalahan jenayah, infodemik, pandemik, fake news, criminal offence, infodemic, pandemicAbstract
Hari ini, seluruh dunia sedang menghadapi bencana yang dipanggil penyakit novel coronavirus yang dikenali sebagai COVID-19. Setakat Oktober 2021, telah dilaporkan bahawa lebih daripada 248 juta kes dan 5 juta kematian direkodkan di seluruh dunia. Di Malaysia, 2,466,663 kes direkodkan dengan 28,876 kematian dilaporkan pada 30 Oktober 2021. Malangnya, dunia bukan sahaja berhadapan dengan pandemik COVID-19, malah infodemik COVID-19 juga, di mana berita palsu tentang penyakit COVID-19 merebak dengan lebih cepat dan lebih meluas daripada virus itu sendiri. Penularan berita palsu semakin berleluasa menerusi pelbagai platfom media sosial yang menimbulkan kebimbangan dalam kalangan masyarakat. Ketidakpastian dalam memahami apa sebenarnya berita palsu telah menyebabkan kesukaran dan cabaran dalam menyediakan penyelesaian kepada bahaya yang ditimbulkan oleh berita palsu. Artikel ini membincangkan apa yang dikatakan berita palsu dan mengkaji rangka kerja undang-undang yang disediakan untuk memerangi berita palsu di Malaysia. Dengan menggunakan metodologi penyelidikan doktrinal, artikel ini menganalisis dengan teliti peruntukan undang-undang yang berkaitan di bawah Akta Komunikasi dan Multimedia 1998, dan Kanun Keseksaan serta Ordinan Darurat (Kuasa-Kuasa Perlu) (No.2) 2021 yang berkuat kuasa pada 12 Mac 2021 serta kes berkaitan, untuk kesalahan dan hukuman berhubung dengan berita palsu. Dapatan daripada analisis menunjukkan bahawa masih terdapat ruang untuk penambahbaikan dalam peruntukan undang-undang untuk mengawal berita palsu khususnya mengenai COVID-19.
Today, the whole world is facing a catastrophe called novel coronavirus disease known as COVID-19. As of October 2021, it has been reported that more than 248 million cases and 5 million deaths have been recorded worldwide. In Malaysia, 2,466,663 cases were reported with 28,876 deaths recorded on 30 October 2021. Unfortunately, the world is not only facing the COVID-19 pandemic, but the COVID-19 infodemic as well, where fake news about COVID-19 disease is spreading faster and more widely than from the virus itself. The spread of fake news is amplified through various social media platforms which is causing concern among the community. The uncertainty in understanding what fake news really is has caused difficulties and challenges in providing a solution to the hazards that it creates. This article discusses what constitutes fake news examines the current legal framework put in place to combat fake news in Malaysia. Employing a doctrinal research methodology, this article thoroughly analyzes the relevant legal provisions under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, the Penal Code and the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance (No.2) 2021 which came into force on 12 March 2021 as well as related case laws, for offences and punishments with regards to fake news. The findings from the analysis indicate that there is still room for improvement in regulating fake news in particular concerning COVID-19.
References
Ahinkorah, B. O., Ameyaw, E. K., Hagan, J. E., Seidu, A.-A., & Schack, T. (2020). Rising above misinformation or fake news in Africa: Another strategy to control COVID-19 spread. Frontiers in Communication, 5(June), 2018–2021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2020.00045
Daud, M., & Zulhuda, S. (2020). Regulating the spread of false content online in Malaysia: Issues, challenges and the way forward. International Journal of Business and Society, 21(S1), 32–48.
Dobinson, I., & Johns, F. (2012). Qualitative legal research. In M. McConville & H. C. Wing (Eds.), Research Methods for Law (2nd ed., pp. 18–45). Edinburgh University Press.
Gu, L., Kropotov, V., & Yarochkin, F. (2017). How Propagandists Abuse the Internet and Manipulate the Public. In Trend Micro (Vol. 5). https://documents.trendmicro.com/assets/white_papers/wp-fake-news-machine-how-propagandists-abuse-the-internet.pdf
Hutchinson, T., & Duncan, N. (2012). Defining and describing what we do: Doctrinal legal research. In Deakin Law Review (Vol. 17, Issue 1).
McConville, M., & Wing, H. C. (2012). Introduction and Overview. In M. McConville & H. C. Wing (Eds.), Research Methods for Law (2nd ed., pp. 1–17). Edinburgh University Press.
Pennycook, G., McPhetres, J., Zhang, Y., Lu, J. G., & Rand, D. G. (2020). Fighting COVID-19 misinformation on social media: Experimental evidence for a scalable accuracy-nudge intervention. Psychological Science, 31(7), 770–780. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620939054
Posetti, J., & Matthews, A. (2018). A short guide to the history of ’fake news’ and disinformation. International Center for Journalists, 7, 1–9.
Raja, I. (2020, May 14). Is social media facilitating conspiracy theories about COVID-19? Daily Sabah, 6698, 1–7. https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/is-social-media-facilitating-conspiracy-theories-about-covid-19
Thomas, Z. (2020). WHO says fake coronavirus claims causing “infodemic.” BBC News.
Thomazios, C. N., Sohaimi, A. M., Wong, T., & Teh, C. (2021). Laws to tackle the spread of fake news in Malaysia. Legal Network Series, 1(A), 1–42.
Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information Disorder: Toward an Interdisciplinary Framework for Research and Policy Making. In Council of Europe Report (Issue September 2017). https://rm.coe.int/information-disorder-toward-an-interdisciplinary-framework-for-researc/168076277c
Watch, H. R. (2021). Malaysia : Revoke ‘ Fake News ’ Ordinance. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/13/malaysia-revoke-fake-news-ordinance
Watkins, D., & Burton, M. (Eds.). (2018). Research Methods in Law (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Yaqin, A. (2007). Legal Research and Writing. Lexis Nexis.
Yatid, M. M. (2019). Truth tampering through social media: Malaysia’s approach in fighting disinformation & misinformation. IKAT - The Indonesia Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 2(2), 203–230.
Zhou, X., & Zafarani, R. (2020). A survey of fake news: Fundamental theories, detection methods, and opportunities. ArXiv:1812.00315v2.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Total Views: 5
| 
Total Downloads: 3
